At the age of 72, Sophia Loren is one of the world's most beautiful women. Sophia Loren's beauty secrets include using olive oil; in fact she says she has often bathed in it. Olive oil is one of the old-fashioned beauty secrets, and because it closely resembles our own natural oils it is totally absorbed into the skin.

Some of the most satisfactory beauty secrets are those you can make yourself with familiar ingredients. Old-fashioned beauty secrets handed down through the years, added to and improved upon, often turn out to be the most valuable of all the beauty secrets. It will take time to determine which beauty secrets are the best for your particular skin type. Not all the beauty secrets will be right for you or bring exceptional results. With practice you will learn how to adjust the ingredients, to meet your own specific requirements, and make the most of these beauty secrets. Bear in mind climate conditions often alter textures.

Remember with these homemade beauty secrets they lack the usual preservatives of chemical additives, so will not last long. To ensure you get the most benefits from using homemade beauty secrets only make small quantities and keep them chilled.

Below you will find beauty secrets for your skin and hair.

Beauty Secrets for Cleansing

Apricot Cleansing Cream 4 tablespoons of apricot oil 2 tablespoons of sesame seed oil 2 tablespoons of butter 1 tablespoon distilled water Beat the ingredients, by hand or in a blender, until completely smooth and creamy. Keep in a refrigerator

Olive Cleansing Cream 4 tablespoons green olive oil 2 tablespoons of sesame seed oil#2 tablespoons of lard (vegetable fat) 2 drops of any essence Beat the ingredients together until creamy. Keep refrigerated.

Beauty Secrets for Toning

Cucumber Toner 1 peeled cucumber 1 teaspoon of witch hazel 1 teaspoon of rose water egg white Mash the cucumber, add witch hazel and rose water; beat the egg white to a froth; mix well. Refrigerate. Strain before use.

Rose Vinegar 4 cups of dried red roses ½ cup of essence of rose 1 pint vinegar Put all the ingredients in a lidded glass jar; allow to stand for three weeks, often shaking it. Strain, and dilute with equal parts of distilled water. Use as a toner.

Beauty Secrets for Facemasks

Cucumber Mask 1 cucumber ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice 1 teaspoon witch hazel 1 teaspoon alcohol 1 egg white, whipped Peel the cucumber and extract the juice, add lemon juice, witch hazel and alcohol. Stir well; then blend in the whipped egg. Allow to dry on your face for a minimum of 15 minutes. Rinse off.

Honey Mask 1 tablespoon of honey 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon olive oil Beat the egg yolk into the oil, then blend in the honey. Apply to your face and leave on for 15 minutes before rinsing away.

Miscellaneous Beauty Secrets

Anti-Sunburn Cream 1 egg white, beaten 1 teaspoon of honey ½ teaspoon of witch hazel Blend all the ingredients together until even. Smooth over bad sunburn. Always refrigerate.

Rose Essence 3 handfuls of dried rose petals sweet almond oil as needed In a glass bowl or jar, put the dried rose petals and cover with the oil. Put the pot in a pan of simmering water, heat until the oil has removed all the colour of the petals. Strain; keep tightly lidded.

Beauty Secrets for Your Hair

Olive Oil Conditioning Put a very small amount of olive oil onto the palm of your hand; rub your hands together so they glisten. Now apply to your hair where it needs it most i.e.: at the ends. Scrunch it sparingly through the rest of your hair avoiding the roots. Leave for ten minutes so the hair shafts can absorb it, then comb through, and style as usual. Your hair will absorb the oil and it will help to define curls and add weight to light flyaway hair. This is one of my favourite beauty secrets. For very dry hair, massage 2 tablespoons of warm olive oil from roots to ends. Wring out a towel in hot water and wind round your head turban-style and leave on for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes shampoo and rinse your hair using your normal shampoo and style as usual. This will give deep conditioning and leave your hair soft and manageable.

Beauty Secrets for Your Hands

Cuticle Softener I tablespoons of fresh or frozen pineapple juice 2 tablespoons of egg yolk ½ teaspoon of cider vinegar Mix together - a very sloppy texture in which nails should be soaked for 30 minutes. It can be preserved for a while in the refrigerator.

Protective Cream (wear under gloves) 1 dessertspoon of fuller's earth powder (buy sachet from pharmacists) 1 dessertspoon of almond oil 2 egg yolks Mix all three ingredients together into an even blend; keep chilled until use. Keep on during the day under gloves or overnight, then rinse off.

I have collected these beauty secrets together for you to make at home, some of them are well-known beauty secrets and some are little know beauty secrets. Above all, I hope you find them to be useful beauty secrets.

About the Author

Elaine Woosey shares more beauty secrets, tips and advice at Beauty-Secrets4U.com Discover how to look and feel gorgeous with The Secrets of How to be Gorgeous eBook today and be the envy of all women.